New owner to publish MedAdNews biannually

The note to customers, dated December 13, seemed official enough. UBM Canon "has taken the decision to cease producing the MedAdNews/Pharmalive/Pharmalot/eKnowledgeBase and R&D Directions brands," effective 12/31/13, wrote Stephen Corrick, who is EVP and managing director for the UBM Canon Media Group.

No official explanation was given on the publisher's decision to give up the brands. However, for B2B publication MedAdNews, the complete closure was to be a brief one. Barely a month later came the announcement that the magazine, under the new ownership of marketing and media company Outcomes LLC, was returning, albeit in limited form.

According to the Jan. 15 statement, rather than its usual monthly format, the magazine will publish two issues a year—the October Top-50 Pharma Company issue and April's Annual Healthcare Communications Agency issue. Both are big reference editions. The award show, “The Manny Awards,” now in its 25th year, is also returning, according to the announcement.

While the B2B publication and its awards show have returned under the new parent company, the respected industry news blog Pharmalot was not part of the announcement, nor was digital newsletter Pharmalive. (Blogger Ed Silverman tweeted that he is “not going to disappear,” and that he is “not retiring yet” from twitter handle @pharmalot.)

In fact, the new owner seems to have veered away from news in favor of sponsored content.

Becker, formerly brand director of MedAdNews, also said he plans to leverage the existing team. Many "familiar faces" will continue playing a "critical role in both the production of the publication and the awards ceremony itself," he added in the statement.

Listed on the company's website as contributing editors are former content director for the magazine Christiane Truelove, alongside Joshua Slatko and Andrew Humphreys, former managing editors for the monthly publication.